UN envoy meets Houthi negotiators following ‘dramatic’ escalation of Iran-backed terror group
The United Nations envoy for Yemen said Tuesday he had met with negotiators from the Iran-backed Houthis following what he described as an “unprecedented” and “dramatic” escalation by the terror group in the Middle East.
Hans Grundberg told The Associated Press that his meeting in Oman this weekend with the Houthis’ chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, was aimed at exploring “whether there are ways to prevent the current escalation from going even further.”
The Houthis have launched attacks against Saudi Arabia in recent weeks and gained territory in Yemen, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Grundberg said that instability in the region and “the influence of regional parties, including Iran, as well as other neighbors of Yemen” have impacted the course of the conflict in Yemen.
Grundberg said the current escalation in Yemen has become more complicated than previous episodes of violence during the civil war. He said the battle lines have shifted to the Red Sea coast, where “the most sensitive front lines” threaten maritime corridors crucial to global trade.
“We have also seen attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, and this is a development that is alarming and should concern the Security Council,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
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